1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer-aided design of vehicles and, more specifically, to a method of optimized design of an HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The process of vehicle design, and in particular automotive vehicle design, involves several phases leading up to the manufacture of the vehicle. These phases are commonly known in the art as design, development, prototype, and test phases. These phases may occur sequentially or concurrently, depending upon the time available for the vehicle design process. Advantageously, an efficient design process for developing a new product offers a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Within the design phase, there are several recognized sub-phases, including conceptual design, basic design, detailed design and drafting. The conceptual design involves the creation of a rough model, which is typically a two-dimensional model. The basic design is a simplified geometric representation of the conceptual model, and is generally shown as a three-dimensional solid model. The detailed design is a further refinement of the basic model including detailed features, such as a three-dimensional solid model. The engineering analysis typically utilizes the detailed design for analytical purposes. The drafting phase is a drawing of the detailed model for manufacturing purposes, such as a second two-dimensional drawing, with the results of the engineering analysis incorporated within the detailed model.
Vehicle design, and in particular automotive vehicle design, has advanced to a state in which computer-aided design techniques are frequently utilized to develop the new vehicle in a virtual environment. Computer-aided design is especially beneficial in optimizing the various systems incorporated within a vehicle, to maximize design and functional capabilities of the vehicle systems. One example of a vehicle system is a climate control system, which maintains the temperature of an occupant compartment of the vehicle at a comfortable level by providing heating, cooling and ventilation. Air-handling for the climate control system is carried out by an integrated mechanism referred to in the art as a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) assembly.
One aspect of the overall design task for a vehicle system, such as the climate control, is to ensure that the design of the vehicle system is spatially compatible with a particular environment. Another aspect of the design task is to ensure that the design complies with predetermined functional criteria, including performance and durability requirements. In the past, various methods have been utilized to determine whether a proposed design meets such predetermined parameters. For example, a proposed design may be analyzed in two dimensions, which requires many iterations of a drawing. A three-dimensional model may also be constructed to obtain a better perspective of the design. The three-dimensional model may also undergo testing to determine whether it complies with performance and durability criteria. This design method is time consuming and expensive.
It is also known that knowledge-based design methods are being utilized in designing a vehicle system. The knowledge-based design method provides advice to the user of the method learned from knowledge guidelines based on lessons learned from previous designs, and engineering and manufacturing experience. Advantageously, knowledge-based design techniques maximize the amount of knowledge utilized, while developing a new vehicle system in a minimal period of time. The knowledge-based design techniques typically utilize a detailed design of the vehicle system to perform an engineering analysis. An example of a knowledge-based design technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,293 to Kaepp, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod For Optimizing The Design Of A Product Using Knowledge Based Engineering Techniquesxe2x80x9d, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
It is also known to use a computer-aided design technique to design a vehicle system. An example of a computer aided design technique is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/984,806, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and System For Vehicle Design Using Occupant Reach Zonesxe2x80x9d, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Another example is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 09/356,576, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod For Designing A HVAC Air-handling Assembly For A Climate Control System,xe2x80x9d the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
While the above design techniques work well by utilizing a detailed parametric model developed from available architectures to analyze the performance of the model, they are time consuming. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a method of optimized of an HVAC assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle using a computer aided design and engineering technique that establishes the performance of the system using a newly generated basic model of the system.
Accordingly, the present invention is a method of optimized design of an HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle. The method includes the steps of generating a basic design of the HVAC air handling assembly and analyzing a performance of the basic design of the HVAC air handling assembly using an engineering analytical technique. The method also includes the steps of varying the basic design of the HVAC air-handling assembly based on the performance analysis and using the optimized basic design of the HVAC air-handling assembly in generating the HVAC air-handling assembly design.
One advantage of the present invention is that an improved method of optimized design of an HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle is provided that considerably reduces design time and related expenses. Another advantage of the present invention is that a method of optimized design of an HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle is provided that utilizes parametric automated design in light of predetermined design, manufacturing and engineering criteria. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a method of optimized design of an HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle is provided that analyzes the performance of a basic design of the HVAC air-handling assembly. Still another advantage of the present invention is that a method of optimized design of an HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle is provided that includes optimized performance features in subsequent designs. A further advantage of the present invention is that a method of optimized design of an HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle is provided which enhances informed decision making regarding subsequent designs in light of performance objectives. Yet a further advantage of the present invention is that a method of optimized design of an HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle is provided that utilizes a simulation-based design evaluation to evaluate the performance and structural integrity of the design.